Post Traumatic Stress - Hurricane Katrina
We're all feeling Katrina's wrath, more or less. It may take a
special effort to stay calm and focused, especially at work,
where day in and day out we're dealing with a wide variety of
people—employees, colleagues, clients, customers, vendors, and
suppliers who may be stressed-out too. Businesswomen often
provide that needed "shelter in the storm," acting as mother
figures or sister substitutes with a shoulder to cry on or
understanding heart to confide in. With so many homeless,
jobless, and officeless and the rest of the country feeling the
ripple effects of Katrina, a lot of people are going to be more
than a little cranky for a long time. I wonder, are we all
going through some sort of PTSD (post-traumatic stress
syndrome)? Symptoms include re-living the traumatic event
through nightmares and self-destructive behavior, such as
substance abuse and thoughts of suicide, headaches, chronic
pain with no known cause, and sleeplessness. I found all this
info and more at www.ptsdalliance.org. I also found that one
out of 10 women at some point in life, it's estimated, will get
PTSD. To de-stress, then, it's important that we try to get
plenty of sleep, eat good, nutritious food, and exercise. A
support group of like-minded colleagues and friends can go a
long way toward keeping us grounded and upbeat, too.
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